Cues
by Halidom
Summary: Summer parties and awkward flirting go hand-in-hand, and sometimes it works out in your favor, as long as you pick up on the cues. / A little "fluffy" piece for Mnemah for Secret Santa 2k16. Jack x Age-appropraite May. T for suggestive themes and alcohol?


A/N: A day to spare, and here you are Mnemah! I'm your make-up Secret Santa! I hope you enjoy my attempt at Jack x Age Appropriate May, even if it's kinda fluffy? Anyway, without further ado!

* * *

 **Cues**

She was sitting on one of the log benches near the bonfire. It had finally started burning properly, and she leaned her body away from the flames, with her head in her right hand, her drink loosely held in the left by finger tips near the rim of the solo cup.

She brought the cup to her lips and took a sip. Her face said it all, brows pushed together, lips pursed, nose scrunched up.

I walked myself over, and leaned in, close to her face, to see her brown eyes look amber in the firelight, "So how's your first drink, kiddo?"

She turned to head to look at me so quick I swear I could hear a snapping sound, "It's not my first drink!"

"Okay, so your first real drink," Karen slurred from behind me, hand grasping on to my shoulder, the full weight of her body trying to pull me to the ground.

"Alright, alright," she broke so easily, "It's worse than I thought it would be." She looked away from us, toward the ground.

"Oh, hey, it's okay. Liquor is like that, not everyone can drink it straight," I paused, feeling nails still digging in to my skin. "Unlike, Karen."

She scoffed in my ear, and let go of my shirt, "Speak for yourself farm boy," I think she attempted to push me, but in her state she just pushed herself back, "I've never seen you use a chase since you moved out here."

I waved my hand in dismissal of her, admittedly true, comment, "Come on, May, let's get you something you can actually drink. I'd tell you to dump out what you have, but I don't support alcohol abuse, especially in someone so young," I trailed off as she stood up; and I wanted to take back my last comment, because she really wasn't young anymore. She was almost bursting out of the top of her dress, it was clinging to, and hanging off, her hips.

She was staring at me staring at her, and I caught myself, "So I'll just take that from you," in one smooth motion, at least I hoped so, I took the cup from her hands, brushing against her fingers. She jumped and the cup almost fell to the ground.

I raised my eyebrow as I took a sip and promptly gagged.

"Ugh! Gross! Why are you drinking Fireball?" I shouted over the sounds of the party finally kicking in to gear, and the roaring of the fire we were walking away from.

"Well, Karen said it was good," we had finally reached the table I set out full of soda and booze. "And to be honest," she said as she poured herself a cup of cola, "I've never had more than a glass of wine or a beer."

"Here's a tip, don't take Karen's advice, other wise you'll end up like your boy over there," I used my thumb to motion to Stu behind me, passed out on, or, well, over the wood pile for the fire. "But you don't have to get wasted, it won't make you any less of an," I swallowed, her dress rode up just enough to expose part of her thigh, "adult."

"He's not my boyfriend!" She put her drink back down and put her hand on her hip, "I'm not interested in him, anyway." She brushed her hand up against my arm.

"Really? That's good to know," I took another sip of the cinnamon whiskey to give myself a second to think. "Hey if you're not going to drink, do you want to go to the beach?"

She looked at me skeptically, hand still on my arm, fingers touching now noticeable veins, "This is your party, you can't just leave it."

"What? Of course I can, everyone will be fine, we're all adults here. They have the fire, the booze, the fields, it's all good, lady."

She looked back at the crowd, and I could see her eyes moving from group to group. I turned to look with her. Rick was keeping an eye on Karen, who was rejecting Duke's advances, who wasn't getting the hint even as his wife attempted to drag him back home. Ann and Popuri were hanging their heads as Cliff and Kai laughed and made jokes with Grey, as Mary kept off to the side nursing the same cup of wine she poured hours ago.

"Okay, let's go. I didn't really feel like I was fitting in tonight, anyway," I felt her hand slip away from me.

She turned away from the fields, and the fire, and our friends, and we went to leave, nearing the entrance sign for my farm.

"Is this what it's like to be an adult?" She asked me in a hushed tone, "No one questions where you go?"

I had to stop myself from laughing, "Yeah, something like that."

"No one cares?" She bit her lip, and I wished that those were my teeth.

"You know, Manna likes to gossip, but we all saw how Duke was hitting on Karen. She has a different type of damage control to do," I looked back at her and her eyebrows were still pinched in worry "Just trust me she has bigger things going on. It's not like I was leading you to my room."

"I could be leading you to mine," She trailed off.

"Really? That sounds like a plan to me!" I laughed. She didn't. She didn't say another word until we were almost to her home and I pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Until then she had been keeping my pace, but drew back.

"Ugh! Gross!"

"What don't like cigarettes?"

"No! They're just gross! They taste gross!"

"Oh so you've tried one?" I teased, taking a drag.

"No!" I imagined her cheeks turning red in the summer night, "I can taste the smell."

I laughed, "Well, I guess I won't kiss you then. Then you won't have to taste the taste."

She stopped talking again, and once we reached the entrance to her ranch she stopped walking.

"Well, how about you come inside instead of us going to the beach? We'll take more clothes off this way," She tilted her head and played with the folds of her dress; all while walking towards her door.

My mouth turned to sand in my tongue, my heart skipped a beat, and it was difficult to take my next breath. The moon shining off her skin made her curves more pronounced. She was lifting her dress higher, or was that just my imagination? He long dark hair flowed around her chest drawing my eye, before my mind darted back to her hips, and how I'd like to grip them in my hands.

"Yeah, how about that," I agreed, throwing my half spent cigarette on the ground, and followed her in to her house.


End file.
